Capitol Voice July 2023

By Brandon Dawson

The Legislature commenced Summer Recess on Friday July 14th, hitting pause on a very busy session so far.

While some bills have died at the hands of politics and committees, there are still many important bills still moving that need your help. This includes: 

SB 389 (Allen), which will help California water regulators obtain a more accurate evaluation of water use claims statewide by granting the SWRCB the authority to review, verify, and issue decisions on pre-1914 water rights claims.

AB 1167 (Carrillo) which will hold dirty polluters accountable by requiring operators of a well to cover the full remediation costs associated with plugging and abandonment and site restoration for that well. 

AB 1628 (McKinnor), which will reduce Microfiber Pollution by requiring that all new washing machines sold for residential, commercial, and state contain a microfiber filtration system.

SB 233 (Skinner), which will unlock more grid reliability by ensuring that new EVs sold in California are capable of bidirectional charging so that EV batteries have the ability to power homes or other facilities when electricity demand is at its peak and prices are high.

These and other bills are part of our In District Lobbying program this year. In district advocacy is a fundamental part of the Sierra Club California’s success in Sacramento. Legislators care about their constituents' support for bills, so I urge you to get involved during the legislative recess by coordinating other local volunteers and arranging a visit with your legislators while they are in the district and share your support for the bills above. You can also mention other bills on Sierra Club California’s Priority Bill list here. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Molly Culton (Molly.Culton@sierraclub.org), Sierra Club California Senior Conservation Organizer. 

Thanks for taking action and making a difference!

By Michael Blenner

Sierra Club California has just hired its newest Associate Director, Jason John! Jason started at Sierra Club this month, and comes to us from the California Natural Resources Agency, where he was the Science and Policy Lead for the Biodiversity and Habitat team, driving their work on 30x30 California and  other habitat restoration initiatives.

Jason will be working on a broad array of our state-level campaigns and initiatives related to renewable energy, transportation, and industrial decarbonization. You’ll be sure to hear from him in future Capitol Voice newsletters and our legislative alerts. You can view Jason’s full bio below, as well his on our Meet the Staff page on our website (including his and our full staff’s policy assignments).

Jason John Bio
Jason John joined Sierra Club California in 2023 as the chapter's Associate Director to lead state-level campaigns and initiatives related to renewable energy, transportation, and industrial decarbonization. He also manages the strategy for the organization's California 30x30 campaign and forestry work. Previously, he was the Science and Policy Lead for the Biodiversity and Habitat team at the California Natural Resources Agency, where he worked on 30x30 California and other habitat restoration initiatives. Jason received his Ph.D. in Physiological Ecology from the University of California Santa Cruz, working in a broad range of habitats from California to Antarctica. In his spare time, Jason enjoys cooking, hiking, and traveling with his wife Tamara.

What Happened at the Day of Action for Water Justice

By Caty Wagner and Molly Culton

(L-R: Communications Associate Michael Blenner, volunteer Jackson Goulding, volunteer Wes Chuang, Senior Organizer Caty Wagner, volunteer Jordan Culbreath, Water Committee Co-Chair Charming Evelyn, Senior Policy Strategist Erin Woolley, Director Brandon Dawson, Senior Organizer Molly Culton, volunteer Katja Irvin, volunteer Sandra Cattell)

On July 5, Sierra Club California staff and volunteers joined representatives of Tribal nations, environmental justice groups, conservation groups, and members of the fishing community for a Day of Action for Water Justice at the state Capitol. We urged Governor Newsom to renounce the Delta tunnel project, Sites Reservoir, the Voluntary Agreements, and any further freshwater diversions from the Bay Delta, as well as demand the State Water Board to update and implement the Bay Delta plan to protect wild salmon. 

Our volunteers and allies lobbied 42 legislators in support of AB 460, AB 1337, and SB 389, and hosted a rally on the steps of the Capitol where environmental justice leaders, tribal representatives, and  Sierra Club California’s own director, Brandon Dawson, gave speeches about the importance of these water rights efforts.

Sierra Club California volunteers from around the state joined us to ensure their voices were heard. We even had a group come up on a bus from Southern California! Many volunteers from our Stop the Delta Tunnel Working Group, which meets weekly (sign up here!), got the chance to meet in person after nearly three years of Zoom meetings. The journey was worth it to support communities facing harmful algal blooms, Tribal nations losing salmon populations and their ways of life, and to speak up for species and ecosystems in peril.

Updates on the bill our members lobbied for: AB 1337 and AB 460 are both 2-year bills now (in Senate Natural Resources and Water) and won't be moving further this year; SB 389 just passed the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee and is headed to Appropriations. To read more about the bills we lobbied for, check out our Priority Bill list.

Big shout-out to Wes Chuang, Lionel Mares, Karen Jacques, Jan Warren, Cynthia Denny, Victor Rodarte, Charming Evelyn, Kathy and Chuck Gooley, Fareed Amed, Daniel Avenancio, Oscar Mogollon, Sandra Cattell, Katja Irvin, Heinrich Albert, Les Kishler, and Jackson Goulding for traveling to make their voices heard from far and wide! Check out photos of the day here.
 

SB 100: Achieving a 100% Clean Energy Future

By Mahtisa Djahangiri

SB 100, also known as “The 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018”, sets a goal of powering all retail electricity in California with renewable and zero-carbon resources by 2045. It also updates the state’s Renewables Portfolio Standard to ensure that by 2030 at least 60 percent of California’s electricity is renewable. 

As part of its implementation thus far, the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Independent System Operator (CAISO), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) have worked in collaboration to integrate input from stakeholders on land use screens and mapping, held annual workshops, and produced the first 20 year transmission outlook. Additionally, the first joint policy report mandated by the bill was published in 2021, and we are quickly approaching the next “every 4 years thereafter” milestone. 

This bill codified the state’s commitment to a clean energy transition and marked an important step towards a clean energy future. SB 100 compliments our goals to halt the expansion of fossil fuels, accelerate the transition to a just clean energy economy, and become 80% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030. By shifting California away from its dependence on electricity generated by fossil fuels, we will prevent environmental degradation and air pollution, and create a sustainable, regenerative economy and a just future for all.

We also recognize the importance of land conservation to meet the state’s 30x30 goals and keep carbon stocks intact. The land-intensive nature of large-scale renewable energy development should be at the forefront of the conversation throughout this process. We must ensure land use analysis includes careful environmental consideration, and alternatives like distributed energy resources are included. It will be equally important to engage with communities, tribes, and stakeholders affected by these land uses in order to ensure we realize a truly just and equitable future.

The next step in SB 100’s implementation process is coming up with the SB 100 Kickoff Workshop on August 22 hosted by the CEC at the Rosenfeld Hearing Room from 9am-5pm. This workshop will be an opportunity to provide feedback on priority pathways to achieving the SB 100 targets as they move towards developing the 2025 Joint Agency SB 100 Report. Sierra Club California will be attending this workshop to advocate for a just energy transition. Stay tuned for further updates on how you can help support the implementation of this bill!